Pivoting on Belly vs. Rolling Over

“My 5 month old is moving in circles instead of rolling over… how can I help?”

ANSWER – I’m going to assume this means moving in circles when they are on their belly, in which case, that’s actually GREAT! That is pivoting in prone, which is one of the first big pre-crawling ‘ministones’. It often emerges around 4 months, and starts with baby slightly moving in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion to get to something they want. As they become more proficient with pivoting, it also works through other pre-crawling reflexes and skills, AND they may even start pushing backwards or attempting to move forward in an army crawl!

How To Set Up Your Baby For Success

If you’re starting to see pivoting in prone, one of my favorite things to set up is motivating items around them at 11, 12, and 1 o’clock to start (picture a clock when setting up). As that becomes easier, spreading them out to be at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock will encourage the full rotation in both directions – AND it keeps them occupied and may even prolong belly time a bit! Win win win!

Hope that helps!

Want More?

For developmental questions, tips and guidance related to milestones about tummy time, rolling & sitting, crawling and walking, check out KC’s developmental Masterclasses linked here.

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KC is a pediatric doctor of physical therapy, wife and mom of three! She has spent her career working with children and young adults of all ability levels, and currently specializes in birth to three years.